Their Last Moments
by slimygrimy
Summary: 'It was dark; this was hardly a surprise. Everything was dark these days. The war was taking the light out of everything. Yet Alice Longbottom, and her husband Frank, had no idea how dark this night would truly be.' For 'The Mirror of Erised Challenge'.


**A/N: This is for the Mirror of Erised challenge :D I hope you enjoy it, it definitely was a challenge but I had great fun writing it! Please review!**

**And before you start reading, a HUGE shout-out to the brilliant kittykittyhunter who gave me so much advice and invaluable help! Thanks so much!**

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><p><strong>Their Last Moments<strong>

It was dark; this was hardly a surprise. Everything was dark these days. The war was taking the light out of everything. Yet Alice Longbottom, and her husband Frank, had no idea how dark this night would truly be.

"Do you think it's abandoned?" said Alice, casting her gaze over the large, Victorian-style house looming over her.

"Judging by the weeds growing _over_ the front door, the broken windows, and the roof that looks like it's going to collapse at any moment, I'd say yes, it's abandoned," replied Frank, chuckling slightly at his wife, who glared at him.

"You know what I mean!" she hissed, punching him on the shoulder. "Do you think there are any _Death Eaters_ in there?"

"That's what we're here to find out. This place has been down on the lift for a long time as possibly holding Dark magic." He took her hand. "C'mon, let's go in. Quietly, now."

The pair crept towards the entrance, carefully pulling the weeds away and opening the door, wincing slightly as it creaked. They could not risk Apparating- the 'crack' would surely alert anyone who might be inside.

"What do you think happened to the family who lived here?" whispered Frank, brushing aside a huge cobweb that stretched from one side of the dusty entrance hall to the other.

"Voldemort. Who else?" she replied, nervously checking the corners for any sign of movement. "I suspect he killed them, for refusing to join him. Or maybe for consorting with Muggle-borns, or worse in his eyes, Muggles themselves."

Frank shivered. "Disgusting. Thank God he's gone- beaten by a child no less..."

"I somehow get the feeling there's more to it than that, Frank. I doubt very much that it's over yet, I'd be willing to bet that..."

She stopped short. They had heard movement from above them.

Frank put his finger to his lips and beckoned her towards him.

"We need to split up," he mouthed, hardly daring to make a sound. "You go that way"- he pointed to his left- "and I'll go this way. There are two staircases up, I saw through the windows..."

Alice nodded, her heart in her throat. Frank pulled her closer and brushed a brief, sweet kiss on her lips. "Stay safe." And with that, he had disappeared into the darkness.

Alice swallowed, her mouth dry. _It's okay,_ she told herself. _We've done this a million times. We've __never failed before._ She turned and made her way in the opposite direction, moving so carefully that not a footstep or a breath could be heard. All the doors off the hallway were shut, looking like they hadn't been opened for months, if not years. But suddenly, one door caught her eye.

It was ajar. A soft light shimmered through the crack, so soft that it could have been mistaken for moonlight. Alice knew better: there was no moon tonight. Alice took a deep breath and pushed open the door. She had guessed correctly; it didn't creak. Someone had been through here recently.

The room was fairly large, and utterly crowded. Not one wall could be seen. They were completely covered by piles and piles of boxes. She could hear the high squeaking of a nest of Doxys. She moved away from the side of the room that the noise was coming from- disturbing the Doxys would give away her position, there was no doubt about that.

She turned her head, and realised where the faint glow of light had come from. Standing at the back of the room with boxes on either side, stood a great mirror. It was huge, with an ornate, gold rim. Across the top read an inscription: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_. Alice had no idea what the words meant, but something about the spectacular mirror drew Alice towards it. Maybe it was the aura of magic radiating from it. Maybe it was the faint glow of light surrounding it. She didn't know. All she did know was that she wanted to look in it, at her reflection.

She stepped forward warily, before placing herself in front of the mirror. There she was, round-faced as ever, her brown hair short and still looking dishevelled. But wait, what was this? Two shapes flickered into the reflection beside her. She looked around wildly. Nothing. She waved her arms. Nothing.

And yet, there in the mirror, the two shapes were becoming clearer. And her face, unlike the real thing, was smiling, her brown eyes shining in contentment. Her arm was around a tall man, whose face suddenly became recognisable- it was her Frank, standing proud and happy at her side. The figure on her right was smaller, much smaller. As the image became clearer, she recognised the figure as a small boy, probably about three or four years old. He had light brown hair and a round face, laughing at something.

_Of course_, Alice thought, stepping closer to the vision. _It's my Neville. Healthy. Happy._

The image was drawing her in. She had almost forgotten where she was, that she had to be on her guard. It was so perfect, and yet seemed so impossible. How could they be all together, safe and happy? They were constantly in danger, so how could they risk Neville when he was vulnerable?

Of course they couldn't. Alice reached and touched the surface of the mirror. _Why couldn't it be real?_

"Having fun, my lovely?"

Alice wheeled around, wand out and pointed towards the voice. A manstood in front of her, dressed in a black cloak with a white mask that covered only his eyes. His black hood was drawn up over his head.

"What do you see?" the man asked; his voice could have been almost friendly, had it lacked that hint of cruelty. "Is it freedom? A world without evil? You and your dead relatives, reunited once more? Shame, none of them will ever happen. It's too late for any of that." He smirked. "For you, anyway."

He approached her and took off his mask. He was young and pale with freckles and had harsh, grey eyes. "We've got your husband. You must have been so wrapped up in the mirror that you didn't even hear his screaming."

She clenched her fists. "I don't believe you."

He laughed- a high, cold laugh that sent shivers up her spine. "No? Well, you're right. We're saving him. You can watch him be tortured to his death."

"Not as long as I have breath in my body," she growled under her breath, before shouting, "_Stupefy_!"

The man ducked the shower of red sparks that erupted from her wand- he circled behind a pile of boxes that stood in the centre of the room.

"_Expulso_!" she cried, and the pile exploded, sending junk flying in all directions. The nest of Doxys burst from their nest and flew chaotically around the room, pushing more rubbish on their intruder's heads. Alice ducked a falling globe of the Earth, but was caught off guard. A blue hex hit her leg, and she cried out in pain before crumpling to the floor.

"Wow, I expected better from an Auror," laughed the young man. "Practically child's play." He walked slowly towards her, stopping halfway and looking in the mirror. He smiled. Alice had not noticed the manic look in his eyes before, but now it was obvious, and it scared her.

"Do you know what I see?" he said casually, firing a spell at the Doxys that still swarmed above their heads. They all fell to the floor. Dead. "I see myself, the Dark Lord, his most loyal servant. My vision, unlike yours, will come true. And you are the key to that."

The insane man pointed his wand at Alice. She squeezed her eyes shut and when she felt the curse hit her, she sank into oblivion.

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><p>Barty Crouch smiled. When he had been very young, Dark magic had made no sense to him. <em>Why would you hurt another person, someone who had done nothing wrong?<em> His father had taught him only the bad side of it. But what about the good side? The part where you hold another person's life in your hands? Where you feel like the most powerful man in the world? No, his father had conveniently left that part out.

That feeling, the one of power and invincibility, poured through his veins. There she was, the supposedly 'powerful' Auror, Alice Longbottom, unconscious on the floor.

What would his father think now? What would he _say_ if he knew his only child, his own_ son_ was on the side of the Dark Lord? Maybe he would regret beating his son for crying in the night. Maybe he would think that, perhaps a little bit of love would have gone a long way?

Barty highly doubted it.

He raised his wand and levitated the woman into the musty air. The walk to the largest room upstairs was not far.

He strode through the hallway and up the steps, ignoring the faint 'bump' as his hostage hit the walls. He cared little. All he cared about was pleasing the Dark Lord, and this would definitely please him.

He entered the room. It was large and rectangular, completely empty with the windows boarded up. There was an eerie light filling the room; it came from a magically floating ball. It was a silvery-blue light, giving the room a distinctly creepy atmosphere.

He liked it like that. He liked his prisoners to die in fear.

A voice suddenly rang from the opposite side of the room.

"No! No, Alice!" The man, Frank Longbottom, was crying in anguish for his wife.

"Awwww, Frank!" Bellatrix Lestrange was standing near the Auror, who was being restrained by her husband Rodolphus and his brother Rabastan. "Are you upset?" She cackled madly, her wild black hair shaking from the cruel laugh. "It seems she didn't escape either. Looks like she was just as _weak_"- she spat at his feet- "as you."

"She is_ not_ weak," Frank shouted, fury and grief riddling his expression. "She is the best and bravest woman I ever knew, and she is worth a hundred of you!"

"Is that so?" Bellatrix giggled. "Well, let's see how she feels when she watches us torture _you_. Would you like that?" She beckoned to Barty to approach her. He did so and dropped Alice onto the floor a few feet ahead of Frank. "Oh look, she's waking up now! Perfect!"

Alice's eyes were indeed opening slowly. Moments later, her gaze locked with her husband's. Tears were running down her face.

"Frank..."

"_CRUCIO_!"

Alice screamed, but she was not the one that had been hit with the curse. Her husband was writhing on the floor, his face twisted into one of pure agony. But he did not make a sound. He refused to give them the satisfaction.

"Oh, come ON, Longbottom!" Bellatrix cried in glee. "SCREAM!_ Crucio_!"

And another curse hit. And another. And another.

And yet, it was eerily silent. The bumps of Frank hitting the floor, the voice of Bellatrix as she fired the curse at him again and again, were the only sounds that could be heard. Alice had been gagged and her eyes had run dry of tears, forced to watch her husband's body contort as his insides burned.

Then came the sound that she had dreaded. A cry, a scream that would haunt even the brightest of dreams. Frank could hold it no longer. The pain consumed him, and his eyes were wide and staring, but seeing nothing. "Alice!" he screamed. "Alice! ALICE!"

"That's right, Frank!" Bellatrix laughed happily. "Scream! Let these be your last memories!"

The anger, the fury, the grief as Alice watched her husband became too much to bear. She struggled and kicked, until finally Bellatrix turned to Alice and removed the gag. "So, Alice dear? Any last words?"

Alice was shaking. "I hope... you burn in hell..."

A whisper was all that was left of her strength to give.

Bellatrix put on a fake expression of hurt. "Alice, how could you say that? Your last words, wishing death on little old me?" She laughed evilly. "No last goodbyes to Frank? To little Neville? No?" Bellatrix grinned. "Shame. _Crucio_!"

When the Aurors arrived moments later, it was too late. Frank and Alice Longbottom, the great Aurors, had been tortured to insanity. They would never remember their previous lives. How they had fallen in love; how many people they had saved; how many lives they had changed for the better. They would never recognise their son again.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, that's it! I'm sorry, it's so depressing, but I really hope you like this, and I am very proud of it since it took me a lot of planning, time and effort! Please review, and give me your support in the challenge! It would be the best thing in the world to get placed (: Thanks for reading!**


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